Moments So Dear
by Chrislovercharmed
Summary: “Your father always did have an arm.” Derek’s words echoed in John’s mind as he watched his five year-old father play ball with his 12 year-old uncle. How frickin’ trippy. John turned to Derek. “How did you know?”


"Your father always had a nice arm."

Derek's words echoed in John's mind as he watched his five year-old father play ball with his 12 year-old uncle.

How frickin' trippy.

John turned to Derek. "How did you know?"

"Every time I look at you, I see him." Derek smiled. John smiled back, tears in his eyes.

"Hit it as hard as you can!"

Their attention returned to the scene before them.

"As hard as I can?" asked younger Derek.

"Yeah! That way!" Little Kyle pointed to John and future-Derek's right.

"You sure?" Kyle nodded his head enthusiastically. "All right!" Young Derek pointed high and far, in a perfect mimic of Babe Ruth. Kyle pitched the ball, and Derek smacked it with all his might.

"Nice hit," murmured John.

Unexpectedly, someone caught the ball.

The person in question ran smiling to the boys, grabbed Kyle, and swung him around before kneeling in front of him and handing him the ball.

"Hey Duck," she said. She ruffled his hair, stood up, and did the same to his brother. "Hey kiddo, pretty sweet one! Man, that thing flew!"

"Know what Jared Martinez said today? He said I'll never even make the minors."

"Well Jared Martinez goes to hockey practice every night just to fall on his butt, doesn't he?" The boys laughed in response. "Nah, you'll both make it to the top for sure. And if not in baseball, there's always-"

"Wrestling!" cried Derek and Kyle, and then tackled the girl to the ground.

John moved back to his older uncle. "Who is she?"

"I was wondering when you'd ask. That's Kat." He leaned forward, eyes on the girl. "My big sister."

"Oh my God," John muttered as he sat down heavily next to his uncle.

Derek laughed. "Bit much for you?"

"Hell yes."

Derek gazed at the family in front of them. "She was beautiful, wasn't she?"

John looked at him. "Was?"

Derek looked down and cleared his throat. "She...didn't make it past Judgment Day. It really hurt me and Kyle to lose her. She was the best person in the world. Our parents died about two years ago now, and she fought like hell to hold on to us. And even though she was only 19, the courts granted her custody. She was one of those people you always trusted, always believed. And no matter what, Kat could make you smile."

John took in his new family member, and noticed traits they shared. Similar laugh. Same color hair. Same smile. She was beautiful, he noticed.

He felt a sudden tightening in his chest. This was his family, he realized. He didn't just have a mom anymore. Here was his father, two versions of his uncle, and his amazing aunt, all together. He such sudden and distinct love for them that his throat threatened to close up. What a wonderful feeling to suddenly not be alone.

"How you doin'?" asked Derek quietly.

John cleared his throat and began to say something nonchalant, to shrug it off as nothing, but something stopped him. "I...I honestly don't know."

"All right!" cried Kat. "I surrender! Now get the heck off of me!" Her brothers got to their feet panting and she sat up. "Another victory for Hermanos Reese! Give it up for Duck and Mouse!" Kyle and Derek pretended to be macho while she stood up and brushed the grass off her jeans. "You two could take Batista AND Undertaker AND their clones!" The boys giggled.

"Do we have to leave already?" asked Kyle.

"No, we can stay a while if you want. But listen, there is a surprise waiting for both of you in the car so GO GET IT." She tossed Derek the keys and he and Kyle raced off. Kat's cellphone rang and she answered it. "Hello? Yes, this is Katia Reese." Pause. "What? I got the scholarship?" Pause. "AND the internship? Really? Thank you so much!" She hung up and looked over at her brothers just in time to see them running at her, a black Lab puppy running alongside. They ran into her and hugged her tightly, shouting thank-yous. "You're welcome!" She knelt down. "Guess what? I got 'em."

"You got 'em?" shouted Kyle.

"I got 'em!" Kat cried, lifting her youngest brother onto her shoulders.

"My sister's a genius!" he yelled, pumping his fists in the air.

"Kat the Great!" added Derek, and began chanting it.

John turned to older Derek. "What's going on?"

"She wanted to be a forensic anthropologist. Solve murders with science. She was always interested in helping people. The scholarship was this really tough full ride thing, only for the best. Kat was the best."

"So," Kat said, letting Kyle down, "what are we going to name our new friend?"

"Killer!" Kyle shouted.

"How about Taco?" suggested Derek.

Kat laughed. "I see someone's hungry. How about Taco Killer? TK for short? Since he's actually a she."

"Yeah!" the boys cried.

"And how about we go to Chuck E. Cheese to celebrate?"

"YEAH!"

John burst out laughing as the three took off for their car. "Taco Killer...?"

"I was 12 and I was hungry. And Kyle wasn't exactly Shakespeare at five. Or ever, actually."

"Well that explains why I'm doing so crappy in English." John leaned back, absorbing what he'd learned. "Mom's gonna freak. I mean she won't let on that she's freaking, but she will definitely freak."

Derek half-smiled. "Hey, John?"

"Yeah?"

"This is a little off topic, but..." He looked at his nephew. "What exactly happened to Kyle?"

John looked away, his heart pounding. "What, you want the gory details?" He sighed and looked down. "He died saving my mom from a Terminator." They were both quiet for a minute. "They were together for one night and then he got shot and died." John pushed himself off the bench and walked a few steps. "Oh, and feel free to blame me."

"John, you weren't even born."

"No, not this me," said John, turning around. "Future me. The one who sent him back without even warning him."

"From the sound of it, you already blame yourself enough for the both of us."

"Yeah, because it's my fault." He sighed and looked away. "I just don't understand why I wouldn't at least warn him. Why does he have to die...?"

"He doesn't." John looked at his uncle. "No fate, remember?"

John smiled slightly and sighed again. "Yeah yeah. I swear Mom used to frickin' whisper that to me in the womb." He looked down and lightly kicked a rock. "Hey, Derek?"

"Yeah?"

"Am I a good person? In the future? I mean, forget for just one second that I'm both your nephew and the leader of mankind, and just tell me: am…am I a good man?"

Derek looked into his nephew's slightly pleading eyes, and for the first time, saw him as he was at that moment: young and scared. He was just a kid. A kid who'd carried an adult's burden his whole life. No one deserved that burden, especially on his birthday.

"John, I've never been anything but honest with you. Both yous. You're better than good. Now and in the future. And now that we both know I'm your uncle, I can say this without sounding weird: I'm proud of you."

The look in John's eyes turned grateful. Then he dropped his gaze to the ground. Derek saw a tear fall, and John wiped his eyes. Derek felt a few tears prick his own eyes, and he held them back out of habit. He continued to watch his 16 year-old nephew, noting the differences between the two Johns he'd known. The one in front of him wasn't a soldier. He was trying to be, but at the moment, he was still just a scared kid.

For the first time in a long time, Derek felt a surge of emotion that made him want to hug someone.

So he did.

In that instant, when nephew and uncle hugged each other tightly, they both felt such love for one another that a few hundred yards away, a young woman in a car with two young boys and a puppy stopped talking on her cell phone and watched them.


End file.
